A 'TROUBLED' man who falsely claimed he was raped by four gay men including an innocent Worcester man has been jailed for six years.

One of falsely accused men took an overdose and another contemplated suicide because of the lies of Mark Wixey, 43, of Holm Oak Road, Belmont, Herefordshire.

Wixey (pictured) was jailed for six years at Worcester Crown Court for making false rape allegations against four men he met on gay dating websites.

He encountered three of the men on Gaydar and another on a site called Plenty of Fish, meeting up with men in various parts of the country but made false allegations which led to them being investigated and held by police.

At 2.29am on November 18, 2012 West Mercia Police received a call from a witness in Rainbow Hill, Worcester. The witness stated that there was a male (Mark Wixey) at his door claiming that he had been raped.

Officers attended and Wixey made a formal complaint of rape against a Worcester male, alleging that he had suffered the assault the previous evening at the Diglis Hotel, Worcester. The suspect was arrested and detained in custody to obtain samples, interviewed and then released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Investigation into Wixey's allegation soon uncovered inconsistencies and material in the form of CCTV evidence also suggested that his allegation may be false and the allegation was withdrawn.

Wixey was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice on December 20, 2012. He denied the offence and maintained that he had been raped, denying the charge of perverting the course of justice. Other police forces were then contacted by West Mercia Police, gathering evidence of further possible offences committed in the Metropolitan Police area, Dorset and Leicestershire. West Mercia Police picked up the investigations on behalf of the other Police forces and Wixey was further arrested by West Mercia on June 24 this year. He was then charged with a further four matters of perverting the course of justice following other false allegations of rape in Enfield, London on May 27, 2011, in Hereford on August 10, 2011, in Maiden Newton, Dorchester on July 21, 2013 and in Barwell in Leicester on May 1 this year.

Wixey pleaded guilty at Worcester Crown Court to all matters on November 18.

Judge Robert Juckes sentenced him to six years (eight years minus 25 per cent for early guilty pleas). Judge Jukes said the case was unique due to the number of victims and counsel were unable to source any previous case history of similar matters involving a series of victims.

Judge Juckes QC said Wixey was obviously a troubled man but drink had played a major part in the offences. At one stage he had tried to commit suicide.

What was concerning was the waste of police time and the effect the allegations would have upon persons with genuine complaints of rape. Two of his victims had been terrified by their experiences, some having spent time in custody.

DC Zoey Carter, the officer in the case for West Mercia Police, said: "The false allegation made by Mr Wixey in Worcester resulted in the arrest, detention and interview of an innocent man. As part of the detention process he was forensically examined and provided intimate samples.

"The victim described the week following his arrest as the worst in his life and believes the incident has changed him completely.

"The nature of these false allegations is quite horrific and the long term effects on the lives of his victims is significant.

"One victim contemplated suicide whilst another was so distraught that he took an overdose which was thankfully unsuccessful. By making this, and the allegations in other police force areas, Mr Wixey has prevented valuable specialist resources from investigating genuine complaints.

"It's because West Mercia Police take sexual offence allegations so seriously that the investigation team were determined to ensure Mr Wixey was brought to justice and couldn't ruin any other lives.

"I am thrilled that we have achieved justice for all the victims concerned and I truly hope that they are now able to put an end to this chapter in their lives and move on. In fact, I received a message from one of the victims this morning thanking us and explaining that he felt like a huge amount of pressure had been lifted and that he felt like he'd been given his life back."